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The scenery flew by her as she raced ahead, defying the laws of physics with her enhanced speed and strength. Instead of the landscape of Italy becoming an incomprehensible blur, Bella could see everything around her in lurid detail. The night sky stretched out above her, an inky velvet backdrop to billions of twinkling diamonds. The trees and grass whipped by her, outlined in such vibrant color and amazing detail that she had never noticed before.

Vineyards, plant life, tall grass, small animals, all were laid bare to her increased eyesight. Her hearing had improved as well. She could hear the thrumming bass of a car on the highway, five miles west. A couple was fighting in a house a half mile south, something broke and the yelling increased. Small animals- cats, rodents, a rabbit- they all took cover as she passed. Her senses were heightened almost to the point of pain.

She tried to recall what she was running from- but had trouble remembering things from before the inferno. The fire that had killed Bella, the naïve human girl, replaced her with something else. Something stronger, unbreakable, deadly.

Someone had hurt her. She remembered that much. A woman with red eyes and flowing blonde hair had wanted her to suffer, but Bella couldn't imagine why.

Despite the comforting scents and voices that surrounded her as she burned, the room she opened her eyes to was the very one she had been assaulted in. Her instincts had screamed at her to flee, and her new body had reacted to that demand before she'd fully considered it.

Bella felt like she should know the three men she had run from, but she struggled to recall their names. The further she got from them, however, the more she felt compelled to go back. It was like a magnetic field, stretched to its capacity. Their shocked, beautiful faces swam in her memory as she flew.

The newly minted vampire came to an abrupt halt, recalling their beauty in perfect detail. She wasn't sure where she was. Somewhere near the sea- she could smell the salt. It was almost dawn, too. The horizon was lightening, the atmosphere a lighter shade of indigo blue where the land met the sky in the east.

Bella ran a pale, perfect hand through lustrous hair, brushing it over one shoulder and out of her face. It should have been quiet in the pre-dawn lull- but she could hear everything. She had never known how teeming with life the world truly was until now. Funny, how it took death to notice how alive the world truly was. For that's what had happened. She had died in that room. Her human life had been burned away one cell, one breath, one-millionth of a second at a time as she had been dragged through the fiery depths of hell.

The burn was gone now, but it hadn't completely left her. It had retreated from every part of her body except for one. Now it settled in the back of her throat, a dull pain- bearable but obnoxious. Certainly, it became more persistent the longer she stood there thinking about it.

Bella looked down at her disheveled appearance. She was wearing a sheer nightgown which had been torn as she flew through the countryside. White hot fire licked her throat, making her snarl.

Quenching the flames and finding something to wear were immediate requirements.

The sound of a car skidding on gravel and knocking something over grabbed her attention. On silent feet, Bella crept towards the noise. There was a darkened house with a running car parked cockeyed in the driveway. Garbage cans were strewn about, rolling into the garden from where they had been hit. A man, perhaps in his early thirties, pushed the door of a sedan open and stumbled out. He was obviously just getting in from a night of drinking. There was a strong stench of stale drink about him, but that wasn't the only scent that drew Bella's attention.

Without thinking about what she was doing, she sprung. His yell of surprise was cut short when her razor-sharp teeth sunk into his neck. The hot, sweet blood poured down her throat, momentarily extinguishing the burn.

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Laurent was still licking his wounds, put out by Aro's rejection when he heard about Victoria's death. He couldn't say he wasn't relieved. A vampire who had lost their mate was a dangerous thing, and Victoria posed a threat to him and everyone she came into contact with.

Speaking of lost mates, rumors were thick on the ground about the king's absent mate. Apparently, she'd given them the slip when she awoke to this new life.

Laurent couldn't say he blamed her. As much as he himself had a knack for garnering favor from those in power, being the mate of not only one but all three kings, was a daunting thing. There must be a reason having multiple mates was a rare occurrence- possession and jealousy were not the least of the problems such a grouping wrought.

Irina had informed him that the Volturi had spread far and wide looking for her. They'd even visited the Denali's, although they'd really been there to see if Carlisle or Esme had any information about this mysterious fourth.

When Laurent's sometimes lover told him that Bella, the very girl he'd almost made his meal, was the newborn queen they were searching for, his stomach dropped unpleasantly. He was unsurprised now that Aro had sent him away with a warning to never return. The king had undoubtedly seen his attempt on his mate's life when Laurent touched his hand. It was a wonder Aro had spared his life. Caius wouldn't have if he'd been there.

He hadn't said so, but Laurent was sure that Marcus had wanted his head as well, although he hadn't understood why at the time. He thought it was his association with the Romanian's that had precipitated his banishment.

Laurent didn't believe in fate, but this was a fantastical coincidence. Then again, maybe fate had a few tricks up her sleeve, after all.

He was lingering in the Scottish Highlands, avoiding Italy at all costs, when he came upon her. The distinct scent of vampire tickled his nose, drawing him towards the queen. Female vampires were not as rare as they'd once been, but there were still fewer than their male counterparts. In any case, they usually had a sweeter scent, which caught his notice.

She wasn't alone on the sloping hillside of tall grass and sheep. There were two vampires, males, engaging her in conversation. Their body language was solicitous and non-threatening. They were clearly propositioning her. Newborns were usually a slave to their instincts, and susceptible to seduction. Not the queen, however. Laurent wasn't sure he'd ever seen such a calm newborn. Never had he been able to have a conversation with one, as these other two unknown males were doing.

Laurent crept closer, careful to stay downwind. He started violently when he saw their faces. What were the odds that the very reason Aro did not trust him, the very vampires from whom the Volturi had usurped their position of power, were here?

If Vladimir of Stefan knew who Bella was, she would already be dead… Maybe there was a way back into the Volturi's good graces after all. Was it fate or just good luck that Laurent came upon them when he did?

"Ah," Stefan was saying. "But two is always better than one. You are new to this life, pretty girl. Why don't you let us show you how pleasurable it can be when you never have to stop to catch your breath? We can go on for days…"

"Or you could fuck each other. Or fuck off," Isabella suggested archly.

Vladimir laughed, clapping his brethren on the back heartily, while Stefan looked put out.

"I have never known one so young to have such control," Vladimir said in his thick, Slavic accent. "Perhaps you are gifted, sweet one."

"Gifted…" she repeated with a frown.

"Some of our kind have talents," he supplied. "Gifts given to them by the fire. I have known vampires that can fly, predict the future, and make you feel like you're burning alive. The last one is all in the mind, of course, but it feels very real."

A crease formed between her brows.

"I don't know what mine would be," she muttered.

"Let us help you discover it, then," he purred.

"Yes," Stefan agreed, jumping in. "You could have a defensive talent, or possibly just the gift of exceptional restraint, like our friend Carlisle."

Her frown deepened as looked at the sky, as though she was struggling to remember something.

"Carlisle," she said, testing the name. "I know a Carlisle…"

"You may have in your first life," Stefan said airily. "It is not uncommon to forget things from our time as humans. I would be very surprised if they were one in the same, though. The Carlisle we know is in America with his coven."

"Drinking the blood of cats and snakes, no doubt," Vladimir put in.

"What?" she asked, shocked.

"They do not feed from humans," Vladimir explained. "They drink the blood of animals instead."

"Gross," she replied with a shudder.

Laurent heartily agreed. Although Irina was an undoubtedly fine lay, nothing was worth feeding from an elk. The taste of dirt and sticks lingers on the palate for days afterward. Ultimately, their lifestyles had been incompatible.

"Indeed!" Vladimir laughed. "I have tried it once, out of curiosity. It was foul."

"I think I'll pass," she said coolly. "And as tempting as your offer is, I'll have to pass on that as well."

"You wound us," he pouted. "I suppose our revenge will not be as humiliating as we'd intended, but it will serve its purpose nonetheless."

Bella took a reflexive step back. Both Vladimir and Stefan adopted defensive positions, ready to pounce.

"Revenge?" she asked, bewildered. "What-"

"I thought if we fucked you first, it would make finally taking you from your mates all the sweeter," Vladimir explained. "But this will hurt them either way."

She frowned, clearly confused.

"Mates…" she trailed off, trying to remember.

"Either you lost your memories to the fire, or you are a very fine actress," Stefan sneered. "It's almost a shame to kill such a beautiful woman, but the Italian scum have had this coming for centuries. I wonder how long until they descend into madness."

Victoria wasn't the only vampire with a heightened sense of self-preservation. Laurent was famous for knowing when to cut his losses and run, but this may be his only opportunity to ingratiate himself to the ruling coven and save himself an eternity of looking over his shoulder. Such an opportunity would likely never present itself again. Laurent hesitated for a fraction of a second before loping around the slope and making his presence known.

The three vampires hissed as his sudden arrival.

"Vladimir, Stefan," he remarked idly. "You are a long way from home. As are you, my lady."

Bella's eyes were black, and her body vibrated as her acute stress response took over, preparing her for fight or flight.

"Laurent," Vladimir hissed. "This is no affair of yours!"

"I disagree," he said, pacing closer with measured steps. "Unlike you, Valdimir, I have no wish to see the world descend into chaos- and for all their shortcomings, the Volturi prevents just that. Taking the kings mate would surely upend the system that keeps us from exposure."

"But surely you will not fight us for her, will you?" Stefan scoffed. "I heard a rumor that you left your last coven to be slaughtered by the animal drinkers. Is it true?"

"Victoria and James created their own mess with the Cullens," Laurent said, his tone light and bored. "As have you with Aro."

"Aro is a serpent and a usurper," Stefan growled. "It is no wonder that you are trying to curry favor by going against us now! It will change nothing! The only difference will be that you die too-"

There was a strangled sound, following the unmistakable noise of ripping metal. Bella, the queen, he supposed, had used all of her newborn strength to detach Stefan's head. Vladimir was next. He spun around, but the queen was fast, faster than any vampire Laurent had ever seen, and his head joined his brother's on the grassy field.

"I killed them," she said, her eyes trained on the Romanian's. "They- they're dead."

"No," Laurent said, watching her with careful eyes. She could turn on him at any moment if she wished. "We have to burn them. Our kind can be put back together, my lady."

She nodded, her eyes still fixed on the headless bodies that had hit the grass with a dull thump. She swallowed back a mouthful of venom, Laurent recognized the action, and fixed her bright ruby eyes on him.

"Do you have a match?"

He didn't, but he was able to make a spark with two boulders. Once the flame touched the highly flammable skin, the Romanian's went up in a cloying plume of purple smoke. The queen watched with a combination of fascination and horror.

"I remember you," she said abruptly, turning to look at him once more. "I knew you before…"

"Yes, my lady," he said, now swallowing himself. Would she kill him for almost making her his dinner while she was human, or for being unlucky enough to find himself with James the first time they met? Could he convince her that he was not a threat? New vampires were not known for their rationality.

"James bit me," she said, more to herself than to him. She fingered a crescent scar, an unmistakable bite mark, on her inner forearm near her wrist. "But Edward didn't want me to be a vampire… He wouldn't let the venom take hold."

Had the love-struck Edward removed the venom before it could spread? Laurent had never heard of such a thing. Stopping the change without killing someone was unheard of, abhorrent, even, but if anyone could be guilty of such an action, it would be the Olympic Coven. They fetishized humans. The Denali sisters weren't much better, but at least they did not reveal themselves to their lovers as Edward had.

"I left James and Victoria before-"

"How did you survive the wolves?" she asked, cutting him off before he could put distance between himself and the vampires who had made sport of her as a human. "There were so many…"

"I was faster," he said succinctly, not liking the direction this was going. He had left James and Victoria, that was true, but he too had tried, and failed, to eat her the last time they'd met. She may not find the distinction between wanting to kill her and making a game of it sufficient enough to spare his life. Maybe he should have left well enough alone, after all…

"I was looking for the meadow," she said now, her eyes glazing over as the memories came. "Edward took me there when I was human. He didn't want to change me."

That sounded like the Cullens, Laurent thought ruefully. They hated their existence and did not wish it on others. Although, that was very hypocritical considering that Carlisle himself had changed all but two of his "family." Irina had told Laurent the history of the Cullen's late one night after a marathon of sexual pleasure in the forest.

"You were going to kill me," Bella recalled, making Laurent wince.

She canted her head to one side and fixed him with a stare. Fearing that she would pounce, Laurent held his hands aloft in the universal sign of surrender.

"I'm glad I did not," he said quickly. "I apologize, my lady. I was thirsty and you-"

"I smelled good," she remembered. "Edward always said that. I was his singer. Why would he be interested in me? What was he thinking?"

"I do not know, my lady," Laurent replied.

He truly didn't. Courting humans was frowned upon, and you were expected to change or silence them if and when they discovered the existence of vampires. The Cullens were lucky not to be dead after abandoning her with the knowledge of their kind.

"I want him dead," she said suddenly, her eyes shifting from the bright red of a newborn to a furious black.

"I'm sure your mates would be only too happy to assist you in that, my lady," he replied thickly. Would they help her kill him as well?

"Mates…" the queen murmured, testing the word out. "I have a mate. I remember…"

"Begging your pardon, Lady Isabella, but you have three," he informed her, hoping that by supplying her with the missing information in her memories, she would forget his past indiscretions. "The rulers, if you will, of our kind."

"Aro," she breathed, adopting another far-off look. "The others, though, I don't remember their names…"

She frowned, and Laurent sensed her mood shift. Although she was calm enough to have a conversation, that did not mean she wasn't overcome by her new instincts. Bella huffed with frustration by her lack of knowledge. An irritated snarl left her lips.

"Why can't I remember?" she seethed. "This is so stupid…"

"Caius and Marcus," he rushed to say. "I can take you to them if you wish."

The queen took an unnecessary breath, her anger dissolving as quickly as it had come on. This was another marvel. New vampires often flew into fits of rage when their emotions overwhelmed them. He had never known one to reign themself in before…

"Okay," she said after a moment. "Alright, yes, that would be fine."

Then she pinned him with another severe look, reminding him eerily of her mates.

"Cross me, though, and I'll skin you alive."

He believed her.

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